458 NOTES. 



seems to say that these Finch-Thrushes are only found in the 

 hills, but these were in the plains on the banks of the Kooshiara 

 and were going about in pairs, not very numerous, in long 

 grass and reed jungle. They have a mellow warble of three 

 notes. This was in February/' Quite recently Mr. Davison 

 shot P. ruficeps in Northern Tenasserim, where he found it in 

 long reeds, and my impression is that though at times found in 

 tree jungle, grass and reed beds are their normal haunts. 



Amongst other birds recently obtained by Mr. Mandelli, 

 I may note, from the Bhotan Doars, Megalaima cyanotis and 

 Alcedo grandis, and from the interior of Sikhim, Accentor 

 montanellus and Calendrella pispoletta. The latter is not uncom- 

 mon in the North- West Punjab during the cold season. 



Dr. G-. King writes to me under date the 24th April : — " I 

 was surprised to see a specimen of Pterocles e.vustus in the 

 Calcutta Botanical Gardens two days ago. It squatted on 

 the ground within three yards of me. I had a good look at 

 it. I never knew that it put in an appearance in this Delta ." 



Miss M. B. Cockburn writes from Kotagherry, Nilghiris :— * 



" In No. 6, Stray Feathers, page 496, Mr. J W. Vipan 



mentions having shot a Painted Spur-fowl at Burliah. Some 



years ago one was shot at the l Orange Valley,' a few miles 



from this, and brought to me here. " 



Dr. Jerdon's description of Siphia erythaca is really most 

 unsatisfactory. He says : — " Above dusky slate color, sides of 

 the throat and neck the same" Now whatever color you call 

 the upper surface, you must call the lores, cheeks, and sides of 

 throat something else. They are in fact perfectly black, a dull. 

 obscure black no doubt, but still black in one light and blackish 

 dusky in another ; in fact the contrast between the sides and the 

 top and back of the head is strong. Then he omits to notice 

 that the upper tail-coverts are black, contrasting again strongly 

 with the slatey rump. Lastly he says that the vent and lower 

 tail-coverts are white, whereas they are whitey brown, as a 

 rule strongly tinged with yellowish ferruginous. His dimen^ 

 sions too are rather too small. I recently obtained a peculiarly 

 fine specimen of this species from the outskirts of the Pine 

 forests in the Salween district, British Burmah. Away from 



